Gear Technology Magazine
www.geartechnology.com/articles/23770

Brelie Gear Expands Capacity, Invests in Machinery

October 11, 2010

Brelie Gear Co, Inc. recently announced the acquisition of a new Mitsubishi GE-20 CNC Gear Hobbing Machine.  According to company President Steve Janke, this acquisition was made in part as a commitment to Brelie Gear's continual improvement in quality. Additionally the improvements in efficiency over the Mitsubishi machine it is replacing will help to meet the production requirements of their growing customer list.

Earlier this year Brelie Gear purchased the assets of Blahnik Manufacturing.  The acquisition included purchasing multiple 10" chuck turning centers, a vertical machining center, as well as a horizontal machining center.  Key personnel were also retained as a part of the acquisition.

"The addition of this equipment and retaining key personnel will allow Brelie Gear to complete the gear manufacturing process for many of our customers from start to finish," says Janke. "Producing a high quality gear requires more than just cutting high quality teeth. Bringing these machining capabilities in house helps us to control our costs and stay competitive in the marketplace, which helps our customers maintain their competitiveness."

Brelie Gear plant manager, Tom Wagner, discussed the equipment Brelie Gear has acquired since 2006:

  • Koepfer Model 200 CNC Gear Hobber with automatic loading and unloading (purchased in 2006).
  • Ty Miles MBLD -10-36-120 Broaching Machine (purchased in 2006).
  • Koepfer MZ130 CNC 5000 RPM gear hobbing/worm milling machine with automatic loading and unloading (purchased in 2008).
  • Koepfer Model 200 CNC Gear Hobber with skiving attachment and automatic loading and unloading (purchased in 2008).
  • Mitsubishi GE-20 CNC Gear Hobber. This allows Brelie to run an 8" diameter gear as course as 6 DP (purchased in 2010).
  • Koepfer Model 200 CNC Gear Hobber with skiving attachment, automatic loading and unloading, as well as a triple distributor system that allows for additional part capacity for higher volume jobs (delivery due Spring of 2011).